Hempstead, NY Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)

Town Code § 181-11 places the clearing duty on the owner or occupant of any house or building, the owner or person entitled to possession of any vacant lot, and anyone in charge of a church or public building: during the winter season, or whenever snow continues on the ground, they must keep the abutting sidewalk free from obstruction by snow, ice or icy conditions and keep it in good and safe repair, free from filth, dirt, weeds or other obstructions. The chapter does not set a fixed hour count after a snowfall; the duty runs continuously while snow remains on the ground rather than on a numeric clock.

Section 181-12 layers on a separate, year-round duty for commercial premises and their adjacent parking areas: owners, occupants and persons in control must keep those areas clean of paper, debris and refuse, may not sweep debris into gutters, and must provide and maintain trash receptacles at the front of the premises, secured against being knocked over or removed by unauthorized persons. These sidewalk-cleaning duties sit in Part 1, Article IV of Chapter 181, titled 'Cleaning; Obstructions,' distinct from the construction/repair permitting scheme in Articles I through III of the same chapter.